Greyhound Rock / California / United States

This is a good surf area that is often overlooked, with many people preferring the more popular but less good spots. It's a pretty consistent break, good for experienced surfers, and doesn't suffer from the localism or fickle conditions that many other places do.

The beach consists of a fair size sandy area, and then Greyhound Rock itself which is, well, rocky. There are plenty of other spots around here, so this one doesn't get crowded and in fact it's often empty, especially if you turn up here during the week. The sea temperatures are about normal for the County, averaging about 15° C in summer and about 13° C in winter.

The conditions here are best when the wind is coming from the north or the north-east, and the swell is coming from the north, north-west, west, south-west or south. It will start working at less than 1 m and hold up to over 4 m on the best days, with the best tide position being low or mid tide and it will work whether the tide is rising or falling. It breaks to the left, over a reef, and the waves are fast and powerful and hollow too. Length is about average for the area, and will vary between about 50 m and 150 m depending on local conditions.

There is a parking lot at the edge of the park, and there are public restrooms here too.  It's a popular area for fishing, and the trail down to the rock on the shore is quite well established, so you shouldn't have any difficulty.

Hazards here are just the same as the rest of this coast – plenty of submerged rocks, and frequent shark sightings, so keep your eyes open for both.